Archive for the ‘Loveswept’ Category

Those of you following me on Facebook may know that I’ve spent a good portion of January without hot water in my house, but it’s back now (finally!) and I have something great to share: today, RT (that’s Romantic Times, if you didn’t know) did an exclusive cover reveal for Once and Again, the first book in my new Return to Briarwood series which is coming this July! I. Love. This. Cover. Because it’s a second-chance-at-love story, my editor and I made the decision to show the younger Jake and Carolyn (pearls, but no tats) to straddle the old and the new. What do you think?

And I even have blurbage:

Growing up in Eastbridge, Connecticut, Carolyn Rivington was a young debutante who did whatever her parents asked. So when her father demanded that she break things off with the boy from the wrong side of the tracksor else, she did. Now Carolyn’s family is deep in debt. She’s no longer a member of the Briarwood Golf and Yacht Club, she’s an employee. And the tanned, tattooed, dangerously handsome stranger who saunters into her lobby isn’t just her new boss . . . he’s also her first love.

The last time he saw Carolyn, Jake Gaffney was in the back of a police cruiser, handcuffed and humiliated. But seeing her again stirs other memories: a blanket on the beach, the moon above their heads, and the most expensive bottle of wine he could afford. Now the tables have turned. As a real-estate magnate and Briarwood’s new owner, Jake doesn’t have to answer to anyone. But now that he’s back home, he’s finding it hard to live down his old reputation.

Before they can move forward, Jake and Carolyn must face their pasts. But it’ll take more than sizzling chemistry for them to heal old wounds and return to the love they once shared.

To celebrate, I’m giving away two copies of New Year’s in Napa, but there’s a catch: you must be signed up for my newsletter to win! So sign up (infrequent and non-spammy, I promise!) and I’ll give you the deets as to how to enter! You will also get exclusive content and first peeks of the books, so it is worth it!

Today, I am super excited to announce that you can now have a Grayson brother for every season in one package! That’s right! Seb, Theo, Cole and Val are all in one four-book bundle, because the Star Harbor Four-Book Bundle set, including Deep Autumn Heat, Blaze of Winter, Long Simmering Spring, and Slow Summer Burn is officially on sale as of today! It’s selling for $8.99 (a steal, given that each book alone is typically $2.99), but you can get it at Google Play and Amazon for even cheaper at $7.69 (an even bigger steal!). This is the perfect chance for you to introduce your friends to the Graysons of Star Harbor!

We’re doing something a little different today. Typically, Monday giveaways run until Thursday evening, but this giveaway is only 12 hours long! In honor of the fact that Long Simmering Spring is still on sale for 99 cents, I’m going to give away three digital copies of the book! Like I said, the contest ends today, so sign up for my newsletter here and be quick with your comments because it will wrap up tonight at 9pm and books will be sent immediately. Please use the email you want the book sent to (won’t be made public) and your reader of choice (will be made public). International entries okay, since it’s all digital!

And we have winners! Laura Kaye’s As Hard as it Gets goes to cristina arpin and Kristan Higgins’s The Best Man goes to Kirbi Smith! I’ll be emailing you soon! Thank you all who commented. I can’t wait to see you on Monday for release day and a giant giveaway!!

We are one week out from the release date for Slow Summer Burn and I am chomping at the bit to release it into the wild. People have been waiting a long time for Val, and I think (I hope) he is worth the wait. To whet your appetite, here’s a little snippet from the book. In this scene, Val has come to pick up Cam to have some takeout. When he shows up at her place, she’s ready for more than takeout:

“I’m ready to go,” Cameron said, enjoying the way he drank her in with his gaze. That this rangy, beautiful man with the proud stance did a double-take when he saw her made her feel desired. Wanted.

After a few long moments, Val shut his mouth. “You’re not dressed for dinner,” was his only statement, his eyes locked on hers. A muscle ticked in his jaw.

“No,” she said slowly. “I’m not.” After coming home, she’d put on a pair of slim-cut jeans and a soft T-shirt. She’d even managed to find a pair of boat shoes from the back of her closet. Of course, everything was designer, but Val didn’t need to know that.

“May I ask why?” His voice was unfailingly polite, even as the words seemed like they’d been unwillingly dragged from him.

“It sounds like Seb can use all the help he can get.”

“I see.” His jaw clenched, and he gave her one more look, from head to toe. “Where’d you get these clothes?”

She crossed her arms under her breasts. “I own them. Any other questions?”

“Yeah,” he said, after a while. “Do you like pizza? Because that’s what we’re having for dinner tonight.”

“Of course,” she responded, raising an eyebrow. “Doesn’t everybody?”

He pursed his lips together, as if he were trying hard not to laugh. Except he didn’t look like he was going to laugh. He looked stern, and intense, and, Lord help her, completely hot. He was wearing worn jeans that were snug in all the right places and a short-sleeved tee that skimmed his body just so, stretched slightly over his chest, looser down by his waist. He was wearing those work boots again, which must have given him an extra inch of height—not that he needed it. “Not everybody,” he murmured. What she supposed he meant was that he didn’t expect her to like it.

The man was in for a few more surprises.

“Hold on a minute.” She pulled a double-layer cotton jacket out of the hall closet and threw it on. Then she picked up her toolbox and walked back to the front. He was still there, having moved not an inch.

And of course I’m doing another giveaway (newsletter subscribers only, so if you’re not one yet, please sign up at the bottom of the page here)! This time, I’m giving away a copy of Kristan Higgins‘s The Best Man (awesome), and a SIGNED copy of Laura Kaye‘s Hard As It Gets (not releasing until November, so ZOMG!). In the comments section, tell me about a time you might have been wrong about someone, and I’ll choose two random commenters to get these gems. Contest ends at midnight on 8/8, and I’ll announce winners on Friday.

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This summer has been busy, busy, busy, and it’s about to get busier!! As some of you may know, I am headed to the huge national Romance Writers of America Convention this week. If you are in the Atlanta area, I’d love to see you at the huge book signing on Wednesday! Books, swag, your favorite authors, and all for a great cause, fighting illiteracy! I’ll be Facebooking and Tweeting my adventures at RWA, so please like and follow along!

Next, more RWA fun! Random House and Loveswept have partnered to create “Hunt for Romance,” a smart phone-based scavenger hunt app, and if you’re going to be in Atlanta, I encourage you to participate. The concept is similar to a traditional scavenger hunt; this is just the app based version! To join in the fun, just snap pictures with authors (including me!) take augmented reality photos with virtual hunks, join the conversation online, and you will be entered into the sweepstakes to win one of the following prizes:

Grand Prize: iPad Mini

First Runner-Up Prize: Your name included in an upcoming book by RITA nominated author Ruthie Knox! Plus, a bundle of signed books.

10 Additional Winners will receive a bundle of signed books.

The app is available for download now in both the Apple App store and in Google Play. Search “Hunt for Romance” or follow these links.

Spring comes to Star Harbor, bringing unexpected passion for a sexy sheriff, as the next Grayson brother finds love with the town’s beautiful doctor.

Julie Kensington grew up in the same small town as the Grayson brothers and remembers when the boys were nothing but trouble. As teenagers, Cole’s rugged sex appeal set Julie’s heart ablaze, but she did her best to ignore it. Now a grown woman with a medical degree, Julie still can’t resist her searing attraction to the roughest, toughest Grayson. He’s ex-military, tormented, and sexier than ever, but are his wounds too deep to be healed by her loving, gentle touch?

Even back in high school, straight-arrow Julie had a way of making Cole think twice about his bad-boy lifestyle. When Julie decides she’s finally ready to embrace her wild side, Cole knows he is just the man to show her the way, unleashing years of pent-up desire. Neither of them counted on falling in love, but when Cole’s demons threaten to derail their relationship, it’s up to Julie to show him that together, they can overcome the past . . . and build a future.

Also, if you haven’t read the super sexy excerpt posted on Scribd, you can read it here.

For those of you who’ve pre-ordered the book, thank you! If you haven’t yet picked up your copy, you can buy the book everywhere e-books are sold!

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Last week was very work and writing-heavy for me, and it was a good, productive week. I worked through the final round of line edits on Slow Summer Burn, and I finished the first draft of my Tahoe book, which ended up close to 50,000 words – short for me, but a heck of a lot of fun to write. We’ll see what my beta readers have to say about it. Over the weekend, it’s virtually impossible for me to work, except at night when I’m so bone-tired, I can’t really contemplate working unless I actually have to. Still, that doesn’t mean I didn’t *do* anything. Here are the highlights. This weekend, I:

*Marched in a big parade with my three children in ninety-degree weather

*Went to a birthday party with one of my children and played in the sandbox

*Did five loads of laundry (and it wasn’t even laundry day)

*Swam with my children and Mr. B in a lovely, warm pool

*Made homemade guacamole and orzo salad to go along with my grilled chicken and corn-on-the-cob for our Sunday night dinner (not very Cinco de Mayo of me, but the fam loved it anyway)

So, yes, I did a lot. In other news, later this summer, I will be heading to the big RWA national conference. What this means is that I really need to clear the decks of swag from last year’s conference to make room for the inevitable swag I will get from this year’s. So one lucky commenter will receive one audiobook of your choice from my stash (I’ll give you a choice). Just let me know what you did this weekend! Also, I know Friday seems to be the giveaway day of choice for most folks, but Monday works for me for a bunch of different reasons so I’m thinking I’ll keep the giveaways going on Mondays, at least for a while.

“After what I’ve done, I can guarantee I’m not the same guy I used to be.” He shook his head. “Maybe not all my change is for the better, but it’s no surprise you’ve turned out to be someone incredible.”

It seemed that it was confession time. “There was another reason I slapped you.”

“Yeah?” he asked, his gaze steady, as if readying himself to take whatever she dished out. “What’s that?”

“I thought if I gave you the chance—if I let you in, even for a second—you’d break my heart. And I couldn’t let that happen. Not then. Definitely not now.”

A terrible look of sadness flashed across his face for just a moment, before he composed himself. “That isn’t me and that isn’t you. Not anymore.”

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There are only two weeks left until Long Simmering Spring hits the (virtual) shelves on May 13th, and I realize that I haven’t been doing my part to whet your appetite. Because it’s a crazy, crazy week for me, I’m just going to get to the good stuff (i.e. an excerpt) and leave it at that. I will give you a little set-up, though. Our hero, Cole Grayson, has a past which colors the way others perceive him, and most definitely colors the way he perceives himself. Here’s Cole, thinking about Julie Kensington, a high-school acquaintence who’s now the local doctor:

Forget about who he was now; all she probably remembered was the guy he used to be. Bad. There was no other way to put it. He and his brothers had raised some serious hell in high school, and he’d been the worst of them all. The pranks, the drinking, the girls—God, it was embarrassing to even think about. Yet he’d come so far. He might still be one of Star Harbor’s notorious Grayson brothers, but instead of a cocksure hellion, he was a decorated military hero who worked every day to improve his community.

Maybe Julie didn’t care. They’d run in totally different circles—he with the bad boys and she with the good girls. He’d done nothing to distinguish himself to her back then until he’d confronted her—and himself—the afternoon he’d run into her behind the track at the high school. He’d made a play, and she’d turned him down, taking him apart with a few choice words. And then, bonehead that he was, he’d gone in for the kiss anyway. He’d gotten what he deserved that day—a slap so hard it had rattled his teeth, and a lecture on making something of himself.

And just because you’re awesome, I’m doing a giveaway! In honor of my release, give me your best spring memory, and I’ll send you one lucky commenter will win a copy of Fatal Justice by the excellent Marie Force (U.S. only, please). Stay tuned for another excerpt and giveaway next Monday!